How did Tucson become home for the company that is making the world’s first and only FDA-, Health Canada- and European Union CE Mark-approved temporary total artificial heart (TAH-t)?

SynCardia’s TAH-t has roots back 60 years, when Dr. Willem Kolff, a physician born in The Netherlands who later joined the Cleveland Clinic in the United States, then moved on to the University of Utah, began developing the world’s first artificial heart. His work led to the Jarvik 7 artificial heart at the University of Utah, Barney Clark’s 1982 artificial heart that kept him alive 112 days, and the establishment of a publicly traded company— Symbion—to develop the artificial heart commercially.

After Symbion failed to commercialize the device, the University of Arizona agreed to buy the technology and move it to Tucson at the urging of UMC surgeon Dr. Jack Copeland. Copeland, who championed use of the TAH-t as a "bridge to transplant" and was using it as a tool at UMC, convinced the university to buy the technology and move it to Tucson.

UMC funded development of the technology as CardioWest at its current location at 1992 East Silverlake Road, where UMC invested $1 million in technology. But about 10 years later, after reviewing expenses, UMC decided the project cost too much and would have to be shut down. In 2001, four Tucson men with special interest in the project, and with private funding of $2.7 million, created SynCardia to rescue the project. In 2004, SynCardia received FDA approval of TAH-t and shortly after that, raised another $20 million, which the company has used to develop its new portable drivers.